Never Alone
by ToManyLetters
Summary: After an enlightening argument with Slytherin Pansy Parkinson, Harry finds himself stunned and confused in the Entrance Hall. After tearing apart one another's emotional barriers and façades, only one thing has yet to be explored.
1. It Meant Nothing

Never Alone

Never Alone Series, Book One

* * *

Chapter One - It Meant Nothing

* * *

**Author's Note:** This is the first book in this series and is by far the least well written. The series is currently undergoing the process of being re-written and will be posted in its entirety when the re-write is done, but in the mean time, this original version is all there is. Bear with it, the series does get much better.

* * *

Harry was greatly agitated that he would be unable to attend Hogsmeade without his signed papers, but had wished Ron and Hermione an enjoyable time anyway. He found himself in the Great Hall a majority of the day, as it was peaceful, quiet, and, most importantly, full of snacks.

After a few hours of indulging himself, Harry found that his sweet tooth would rot had he anymore to eat. Not wishing to spoil his supper appetite any further, he decided he'd go for a quick swing around the Quidditch pitch.

Upon gathering his broom and protective gear, Harry headed to the Entrance hall. The great oak doors parted, and before him stood a particularly distraught and irritated Ms. Parkinson.

"Abandoned by your boy wonder?" Harry prodded mockingly, laughing as he asked the question. Pansy raised an eyebrow and made to go past him. Harry blocked her with his broom.

"You're still annoying me, best I can tell." she folded her arms and made an annoyed huff.

"I meant pretty boy." said Harry, clearing things up for her. My, was she being intentionally daft. Then again, she was a friend of Malfoy's.

"I wouldn't give yourself that much credit." she snorted. How very unladylike.

"MALFOY!" he growled. "You know who I'm referring to!" he flailed his arms above his head in anger and frustration.

"His name is Draco."

"Oh, are you that close to him?" Harry mocked, making terrible kissing gestures with his mouth as he did so.

"What's it to you?" she fumed, shoving him out of the way. He stepped backward and blocked her path once again.

"Nothing." he said with a sinister grin.

"Rather interested in my love life, aren't you, Harry?" she smiled, looking into his eyes for extra effect. There was something there, she told herself. If she kept looking... she'd lose her self-control. She turned her head abruptly.

"Since when did you call me Harry?" he asked, pulling her face not at all kindly toward him, to stare her down.

"Oh, just now." she said snidely. "When you went so far as to stick your nose in the crotch of my love life." she once again made to leave, Harry grabbed her hand and pulled her back. She growled with frustration.

"Slytherin's don't love." he huffed.

"Is that so?" she chimed. She shifted the bag in her arms.

"Prove otherwise."

Pansy reached for Harry's cheeks with both hands. At first, Harry swore she was going to slap him, but then...

She pulled herself inward and up to him, crash-landed her lips on his and kissed him so ferociously Harry, if blind, would have sworn she were a Dementor... but her hands were warm... and her kiss... despite how it started, was soft...

With an enormous grin on her face, Pansy side-stepped Harry and began to walk away.

"What the hell was that for?" he asked, completely thrown off by the gesture.

"Got you to shut-up, didn't it?" she winked... Harry could have sworn it was a wink... and, then, trotted merrily away.


	2. The Wilting Pansy

Harry absolutely refused to mention the incident to Ron and Hermione. They were his friends, sure, but even they would get a kick out of what happened... or, at the very least, want to kill her even more.

He wasn't really sure why he didn't want them storming off at Parkinson, but he would keep their little escapade known only to the two of them. Harry was sure that she wouldn't tell Draco... even if the event was done in malice... he knew Draco would never let kissing _Potter _go.

After several particularly short weeks, the Hogsmeade weekend once again was knocking on Harry's front door. And, once again, he found himself incapable of attending, and stuck in the Great Hall.

To his amazement, Harry watched as a pair of familiar black eyes stared him down from across the Hall. Well, not so much staring down... but, most definitely staring.

Standing so quickly that he nearly knocked over the bench he sat upon, Harry walked across the Hall to the very guilty eyes on its far side.

"You were staring at me." he said, as he plopped down next to Pansy.

"You're going to have to come up with a better excuse than that to sit next to me, I'm afraid." she twirled her finger around a loose bunch of hair.

"Why did you kiss me?" he asked akwardly.

"To get you to shut up and go away." she said quickly. "And don't think that by sitting here you'll get a lucky second dose." she growled.

"Uh...huh..."

"I'm a Slytherin." she said defensively. "We use any means to achieve our ends."

"There were other ways of getting me to leave you alone." he said softly, unsure of how to intonate his words.

"Really? Well, I sure didn't see them." she mumbled. Her cheeks brightened some. Harry could have sworn she was blushing.

"Ha! So you just wanted an excuse to kiss me, that's it, isn't it!"

"I told you already, I meant it to shut you up!" she hissed. "It meant nothing! If I'd have known it would have caused all this fuss I'd have just broken your nose!"

"You seem rather defensive about a kiss that meant nothing." Harry grinned. He knew he was getting at a nerve. Pansy huffed and turned from him.

"Oh, shut-up." she rolled her eyes and folded her arms.

"You'll have to do better than that to get me to go away." Harry was being intentionally obnoxious. Even if she wouldn't spill the beans, at least he could torment her a little longer...

"I'm not going to kiss you again, since that's obviously why you're here." Harry's eyes bulged. That was most certainly not why he was here... talking to _her_.

"I'll just have to tell Draco, then, won't I?" he spat.

"He'd never believe you." she said in a desperate tone-of-voice.

"Sure he would."

"But he'd love to help me beat the snot out of you. If you don't shut the hell up and get away from me I'll have him beat you into yesteryear!" she yelled at him and shoved him away. "And while you sleep soundly in Hospital Wing I'll be sure to poison you to end this for good!"

Harry didn't move. Pansy slammed her quill to the table, grabbed her bag and parchment and stormed from the Great Hall, a dozen or so Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws chattering about what had just happened.

Harry sat in silence for a moment. He couldn't quite understand why he needed to know about the motive behind the kiss so desperately. Perhaps it meant more to him than it had to her.


	3. Admission and Admiration

Harry woke up the next morning in the Hospital Wing. Just as she had promised, Pansy had sent Draco and his cronies after him, and, also as promised, they had beaten the snot out of him. Harry had just awoken, and had yet to discover if he had been poisoned...

Hearing footsteps coming from the entrance of the Hospital Wing, he slammed his eyes shut. He wasn't sure who it was, but, he felt, that at a time like this, he'd much rather be left to his own musings... to mope just a little at the fact that he'd given Pansy such a hard time. She was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

As the steps became louder, and, Harry assumed, more proximate, Harry let his body unstiffen and attend the illusion of slumber.

Something light and wet hit his face. Harry was almost certain it was a tear, and upon hearing the soft sniffling of a young lady, he was positive.

At first, he thought it was Hermione, and, because of this, he nearly opened his eyes to comfort her. But, as the voice left the lips of its speaker, Harry was uncomfortably aware of his visitor's identity.

"God, I am so sorry." she whispered. "I never meant for this to happen." she sniffed again loudly, "Well, I did... but not this bad..." she sighed, "at least you're unconscious, that makes this easier." she took his hand gently and held it.

"You were right." she said apprehensively. "That kiss did mean more to me than even I intended it to." she squeezed his hand for reassurance that he was not able to hear, "I just meant it to disgust you into leaving me alone. Clearly it didn't work." she laughed slightly, "And when we kissed... or I kissed you, I guess, it was sweeter than even the best that all the sweet shops in Hogsmeade have to offer." she sighed again, "It was then I think, that I fell for you." she paused. "Hmm... no... that wasn't it." she hiccuped. "Your eyes. It was your eyes."

She paused for a while before continuing, loosening Harry's hand some, she scooted closer.

"That part really doesn't matter." she smiled. "The fact is, that, despite what I've said... and despite what I have to show... I really..." she choked up, "Ug, even with you out of it this is hard." she laughed again at her own words, "I love you, Harry."

She wriggled her fingers in between his.

"You're so good at this," she giggled, "Not even awake and you're better than all the shrinks daddy sent me to." she cackled, "And that's a LOT."

As she stopped laughing, she whispered into his ears,

"You're the only person I've ever let my guard down around. It's just something about you." she kissed his forehead and released his hand. "I love you, Harry."

She walked out of the Hospital Wing and left Harry to his thoughts. Harry cringed. Now was the time he REALLY didn't want to be alone with them. He suspired and opened his eyes.

Perhaps she hadn't poisoned him after all.


	4. Divining the Past

After a morning of recovery and what seemed like constant harassment of, "are you okay?" and "what happened to you?", Harry was finally permitted to leave the Hospital Wing.

He avoided Pansy as much as he could in the days following his recovery, not just to avoid her wrath, but also to avoid any awkwardness that he might inadvertently create in making mention of a certain bedside visit...

Professor Trelawney had felt particularly annoyed with the class and had set everyone up into random groups. "To unfog the inner eye!" she had said. "Bullshit!" Ron had muttered. Harry wouldn't have cared. He would have much liked to have a break from Ron and Hermione's incessant bickering... it was his partner that made him rather uneasy.

He wasn't entirely sure about how he felt about her, he knew. He was still harboring a grudge from her attack, despite the fact that she had apologized. She, he reminded himself, had only done so under the pretense that Harry was unconscious.

As he sat hesitantly on the puffy lump that was his chintz chair, he perpetually avoided eye contact with the person beside him. He kept repeating in his mind that she had apologized... but it did nothing to ease his attitude toward her.

"Broaden your minds!" repeated Professor Trelawney, "You will each take turns looking into the crystal ball and seeing from the other's future!" she was far too excited about this... far too excited.

"You go first." she stammered in a very reserved manner.

Harry groaned and stared with glazed eyes into the orb. It was its normal, foggy self.

"Broaden your mind!" said a bug-eyed professor who was far too close for comfort. "What do you see, my dear?" the corner of her mouth twitched.

Harry's mind raced for something he felt she would buy... then... he remembered Pansy's visit to the medical wing... it... wasn't the future... but the details were clear...

Harry squinted and looked stupidly at the orb.

"I see someone," he began, "No, no. Two people." he added. "One looks like he's asleep... and she... she's crying."

Harry's eyes darted toward Pansy for only a brief second. She hadn't figured it out quite yet. It might work after all.

"She's holding his hand." he continued, "Talking to him."

"What about, would you say, my dear?" inquired a most obnoxious Trelawney.

"Oy." mumbled Harry, "She just kissed his forehead and left." he shook his head, smiling slightly toward Pansy. She was blushing redder than even Ron's hair. She knew.

"I think she was apologizing for something... and then..." he choked, he'd have to complete his thought or Trelawney would never leave him be. "Admitting something to him." he choked slightly, "Something it would seem she doesn't want known."

Professor Trelawney was not entirely impressed, but gave him an accepting nod and looked to Pansy.

"And what do you see, my dear?"

Pansy cast a confused look at Harry, then quickly took to observing the smog in her crystal ball. If Harry knew... she suppressed a shudder... she had to come up with something quick... thinking about using the past as Harry had done, she moved her hands mysteriously around the orb.

"I see," she said in a false disconnected voice. "A delusional prat." Harry guffawed, "He's being kissed." she said awkwardly, "and he's misinterpreting what it means." she shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Rather specific." said Trelawney as she ducked downward to look into the orb herself. "Are you quite sure, my dear?"

"It's not the Grim." said Pansy dully. She knew how fond of the Grim Trelawney was and wasn't about to give her the satisfaction.

"Hmm..." drawled the professor, "It would seem that is true."

Harry shot a confused look at his Divination teacher. He was actually a little disappointed that he didn't have his Grim! He was starting to get a little attached to the thing...

"I see a clouded heart." she said finally. "It would seem that one of you has unrecognized feelings."

Had Trelawney just made a real prediction? Read something correctly?

OF COURSE NOT! Harry had no feelings for Pansy... the thought made him laugh aloud.

"What's so funny, my dear?" she queried.

"Oh, nothing, nothing." Harry expertly evaded her question. Trelawney let them be.

"Rather specific vision, if you ask me." Harry shot at Pansy, staring her down.

"Well, I didn't, you delusional prat." she hissed, clenching her fists.

"Oh, dear!" sounded Trelawney from her chair, "I do believe we've gone over! Everyone pack your things!"

Shoving his book back into his bag, Harry stood.

"I wasn't asleep, by the way."

Pansy looked mortified.


	5. It's You That's Delusional

"..What.. what do you mean... you weren't asleep?" she tried to sound ignorant and unabashed. She was failing miserably. Even she knew it. He had been unconscious, hadn't he? She had squeezed his hand... he didn't respond... she touched him... kissed him... no response... there had been neither shudder nor rough force pushing her away.

"I heard what you said." he grinned. He was finding it easier and easier to get to her. Sadly, however, getting to her was becoming less and less fulfilling.

"Delusional." she muttered, rolling her eyes. "Hasn't anyone taught you the difference between dreams and reality?" she laughed mockingly and walked past him and out the door. Her confidence in her words had returned. She was a sly Slytherin after all, despite what Hermione Granger would feed his mind.

Harry stood completely still as he watched Pansy leave the room.

He had been awake! He wasn't dreaming! Or had he been... the injuries could have messed with his memories... he shook his head. No... he was sure he had been awake.

"Everything okay, mate?" asked Ron, placing a concerned hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, fine." mumbled Harry, blinking out of his trance-like state to pick up his bookbag.

"Unrecognized feelings my arse." mumbled Harry as he turned the corner from Divination. "_She _is the delusional prat."

Harry mulled the thought over in his mind. It would help, he thought, to do such a thing. But... neither Ron nor Hermione was the right person to go to. Ron understood women like he understood Divination and Hermione seemed rather distracted all the time and would likely to busy or unconcerned to be of any help.

Then the thought came to him: why was he putting so much thought and effort into this? Why was he so determined to understand this whole thing? Had he come to care for Pansy after all?

Harry missed his mouth and stuck the fork full of potatoes in his nose instead. Ginny giggled and grabbed his hand,

"Down here." she said giddily, moving his hand downward to his mouth, "That's where the food goes." she patted him on the head and returned to her conversation with Hermione.

Maybe he would ask Ginny? He set his fork down and clasped his hands together, resting upon them his quickly growing weary head.

No. She was Ron's sister. She would talk to Ron... It wasn't that he didn't trust her... he just didn't want to risk Ron beating it out of her... he couldn't stand to risk putting someone else in his misery, but he needed desperately to talk things over with someone to understand it all.

He looked across the hall to a beaming Pansy Parkinson, as soon as they met eyes, she quickly turned to Draco and assumed a concerned face. What was with her?_ God_, Harry thought to himself, _how are we supposed to understand them? Women.  
_  
Potions the next day had him brewing a Curdling Draft alongside his favorite pug-faced Slytherin.

"Draco was excused from class today. His arm has really been acting up lately." she said with the air of one commenting on the weather.

"He's faking it." said Harry grudgingly, slicing his sagetounge into small slivers.

"He is not." she said solidly.

"He is and you know it." Harry retorted, nearly cutting his finger as his anger rippled through his body.

""You're just jealous." she said snidely, placing one hand on her hip, dipping her cruftham skin into her cauldron.

"Jealous? Of what?" Harry hissed. "Having no brains?" Harry's anger slowed both his thinking and his speech. "If he... had... just followed directions!"

"You're just jealous because you're not the one getting my attention." she chided.

"I'm getting plenty of it now, thank you very much." he squashed his kiqileaf and made to drop it into his cauldron. "Besides, it's you that has feelings for me, remember?"

"As if!" she said, quickly grabbing his wrist and pulling it from his cauldron. He felt a tingle down his spine as her warm, soft hands touched his... it had been weeks since she had done so in the Hospital Wing... thinking he had been unconscious. "Not yet. You haven't stirred."

Harry mumbled a quick thank you and prepared to stir his cauldron. Her hand still hadn't moved from his.

He dropped his wand and touched her hand softly, wrapping his around it to lift it away. Both of their hearts skipped a beat.

"We're making potions, not love." growled a particularly angry Professor Snape as he pulled them apart. "Both of you will receive detention tonight in my office. If either of you fail to show up," he turned to Harry,_ "You_ will have detention for the remainder of the year. Do you understand me?"

Harry nodded and glared at Pansy as Snape turned 'round and retook his seat. Ron and Hermione had overheard their grumpy professor, had seen him with his hand on Pansy's...

He had some explaining to do.


	6. Hearts in Detention

He knew they both had felt it. He finally understood all the strange and confusing things he had been feeling over the last few weeks.. and the reason for concern... for everything. He didn't mind having a detention tonight, not with Pansy, at least. It would be their own time together... away from prying eyes. Whether or not she would accept their time as merry, still worried him, however.

After overhearing Snape's comment in potions, Ron had grilled him for more information. Harry had been forced to tell what exactly had transpired between him and "Parkinson". Harry bent the truth just enough to be convenient and non-incriminating. Ron especially was forceful in prying every detail from him, Hermione just wanted an answer.

"I told you, she reminded me not to dump the stuff in before I stirred, I was taking her hand off of me when it happened." Harry had responded repeatedly. Ron still wasn't accepting of the answer.

"Being awful nice, wasn't she?" Hermione said, being entirely serious as she did. "Your potion could have exploded without her little tip."

"Yeah, and because of it we both have detention." Harry groaned, sinking back into his chair.

"And half the school thinking you're in some sort of relationship." Ron added, Harry laughing at the words, despite his feelings.

"Still. She was being uncharacteristically kind." Hermione repeated. "Are you sure there's nothing going on between you two?"

"Hermione, if you're interested in Harry, speak up now, why don't you?" Ron teased. Hermione was not at all pleased with Ron's statement.

"That's not funny, Ronald! I mean it! Are you sure..."

"Touchy." he heard Ron mutter quietly.

"Yes," said Harry indignantly, "I'm sure."

After a quick dinner of the best food in Britain, Harry walked slowly to Professor Snape's office. As he neared the large, cold door, he heard a familiar voice echo softly from down the hall,

"Wait for me!" Pansy said quickly as her shoes noisily beat against the ancient floor. Her voice sent warmth through his entire body. He felt as he could float in thin air, fly on the clouds themselves... then again, with magic, he probably could.

The door to the dungeon flew open and a rather annoyed Professor Snape stood, slightly hunched before them. He dragged Harry inside by the hem of his robes, allowing Pansy to walk in of her own accord, then slammed the door.

"You'll be removing the gum from the underside of each of these desks." he snorted, "Without magic." he added, taking their wands.

Harry and Pansy looked at one another angrily. It was clear that neither of them was too happy about this detention. As Snape strode off to his office, he shouted,

"The picks and rags you will use are on the front table. You will not leave this room tonight until you have finished." and he slammed his door.

Walking carefully behind Pansy to the supplies, Harry reached for a rag.

He needn't have. Pansy threw one to him. Well, not really to him so much as in his face, but, it worked out fine just the same.

"Today has been a terrible day." groaned Pansy, already beginning to pick the gum from the underside of the desk. "First I get you railing me about your dream, then I get..."

"It wasn't a dream." huffed Harry. She ignored him.

"... flak from you about how Draco is supposedly faking his injury, and get more flak from you about your dream during potions and _that _ends us landed in here for the night stuck alone in this disgusting dungeon!" she hissed, "You see the common problem?

Harry just ignored her as she continued to ramble on and on about how miserable her Slytherin girl life was and how miserable she was having to live up to the expectations of her parents without some snot-nosed Gryffindor tearing her to pieces.

When she finally slowed down, Harry had completed a full row of tables and had started on the next.

Growling as she fought a piece of gum that refused to let go of the desk, she slipped with her pick and jabbed her finger. Sucking on it carefully to ease the pain, she winced slightly. Harry, knowing some basic healing magic from his well-earned time spent with Madam Pomfrey, walked over to her and gently pulled her injured finger from her mouth.

"Resarcio" would have been the spell to use, had he had his wand. Forgetting this until then, he quickly earned her disfavor.

"I'm sorry." he said apologetically, "I know just the spell to heal that... but I forgot we don't have our wands." he grimaced. "I know some Muggle stuff that should help." he said quickly, applying pressure to the wound and wiping it with the cleanest part of his robes. She looked at him appreciatively.

As he let go of her hand, she felt a piece of herself leave... like part of her had gone with him. Her stomach fluttered uneasily. He looked at her and smiled kindly, wiped the tear from her cheek and opened his mouth to speak once more,

"Do you love me?" he asked innocently.

"We've been over this." she groaned, placing the palm of her hand to her forehead.

"Yes, we have." Harry agreed. "And you've lied every time."


	7. Seven is a Lucky Number

The words silenced her. She couldn't speak. (Well, duh, she couldn't! The author is so obnoxiously redundant...) She fought for her lips to move, to say something in rebuttal.. but nothing came. She found herself completely vulnerable for the first time since she had visited him that fateful day in Hospital Wing.

"I know I wasn't dreaming, Pansy." he said quietly. "You _were _there." he looked at her, surveying her as her lips opened and shut, but words were unable to escape.

Pansy blinked and pulled herself away. If she couldn't fend him off with words, she could, at the very least, remove herself from his proximity.

"You said something about letting your guard down around me." he said kindly, "I just want you to know, I am here for you if you need me." something had inspired him. He was normally terrible with the ladies... but the author was just so bad that his extreme out-of-characterness just didn't bother him. He'd be content with snogging her to pieces.

He paused for a second, staring into her apprehensive eyes,

"I feel the same about you." he added, intending his comment to reflect letting his guard down.

Pansy's nostrils flared. She wasn't sure what to do, but, her Slytherin instincts forcing control of her, she folded her arms and fumed,

"Quit pretending you like me." she growled slightly, "You just want me to admit that you weren't dreaming. You should be in Slytherin." she growled.

He remembered the comment the Sorting Hat had made, 'You would have done well in Slytherin.' Perhaps she would have been why?

"You manipulative, kniving, self-centered,..." what else he was he didn't find out. He stood and looked Pansy in the eyes. "...what are you..." He wrapped his arm around the small of her back and gently graced her lips with his own. As she melted into him, she returned his kiss lovingly. Chastity turned to passion and passion to a sudden need for air.

As they broke apart, Pansy stood, bewilderment replaced her once furious, fuming attitude.

"What the hell did you do that for?" she said suddenly, catching her breath. She wasn't angry, she was exorbitantly amused.

"Got you to shut-up didn't it?" Harry responded playfully.

Her eyes sparkled magnificently. She was clearly torn between wanting to snog him senseless (not that he had much sense to begin with, she reminded herself) and wanting to tear him apart.

Then she slapped him, hard.

"Next time you wanna kiss me," she purred seductively, "either do it right or ask first."

Then, she laughed too, unable to control herself in the humor of the moment.

Finally, they had exposed their feelings to one another. Finally they had gotten past their long established emotional and mental barriers. Finally they had realized what was supposed to come of it all.

Pulling him toward her, she leaned in, gracing him with a gentle kiss. As their lips parted, her head rested on his chest. Harry took her hand in his and rocked her ever so subtly, caressing her back with his free hand.

They may finally have gotten past their barriers and house-based grudges, but their friends sure wouldn't have. Harry, and, he was sure Pansy had too, had lied to his friends about their feelings for one other.

Tomorrow was going to be one hell of a day.


	8. And So It Begins

Finishing the detention in silent whispers, Harry and Pansy finally felt whole.

The Muggles often speak of people having one-half of a soul that longs to find its complement, its completion. If any two souls felt more complete together, it was theirs.

But, to both their dismays, telling their friends of their relationship had no easy route, no easy way to tell them that they loved one another, despite their opposing houses.

"Perhaps if we were to..." Harry began, then shook his head. "Hmm, nevermind. That wouldn't work for Draco." he idly scraped at the gum of his last desk. They were fast running out of time to scheme together.

"Well, we can't hide it from them forever," said Pansy matter-of-factly, "If they find out on their own, they'll be more furious."

"I know, I know." Harry agreed, "There's got to be a way."

An idea struck Pansy. Relaying it to Harry, she smiled widely. It wasn't perfect, but it would get the message across quickly and all at once.

* * *

On the way to breakfast that morning, Harry's thoughts stay thoroughly focused on their revelation. He had slowed bringing Ron and Hermione to breakfast just long enough to meet Pansy at the doors to the Great Hall.

Ron and Hermione glared ferociously at Pansy and her accompaniment. Harry smiled and walked toward her quietly.

"Need a reminder, Potter?" hissed Malfoy, popping his knuckles menacingly as he pulled his hand into a fist. Pansy walked to Harry in a seductive stroll.

"Watch yourself, Parkinson." shot Ron, drawing his wand.

Pansy looked up into Harry's eyes and wrapped her arm around his neck.

"Oh, I think he remembers." Harry followed suit and wrapped his arms around her, caressing her cheeks as they sneaked down her side and around her waist.

Ron gagged. Hermione's mouth shot open, exposing her abnormally large teeth.

"What the ruddy hell?" said Draco, his mind spinning in every direction.

As Pansy moved her free hand up to his cheek, she pulled Harry closer, ran her fingers through his hair and gave him the most sensual, heat-stopping, animated kiss she could muster.

Ron could barely speak, yet, somehow managed to. Perhaps it was his outrage...

"You're kissing a Slytherin?" he fussed, his eyes open wide in terror more than surprise.

"You should try it some time." said Harry, cradling Pansy in his arms. "This one is quite tasty." he whispered into Pansy's ear. She blushed a lurid shade of red, but kept composure,

"As you can see, I'm taken," she said lucidly, "But they're available." she added, pointing in turn to each of her Slytherin acquaintances. Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy's faces all contorted with disgust.

Without a thought, Ron passed his hand over Hermione's and held it loosely. He wasn't about to change his thoughts about Slytherin.

As they entered the Great Hall for breakfast, Pansy took her seat with Harry among the Gryffindors. Several faces scowled at her, none of them more ferociously than that of Lavender Brown.

"What are you doing here, Slytherin?" she hissed, her eyebrows in danger of flying off her head if they were raised any higher.

Harry took Pansy's hand from under the table and squeezed it comfortingly. He wasn't about to let his house mates ruin this relationship for him.

"Nothing says that a Slytherin can't sit with the Gryffindors." Pansy snarled, taking her fork and pointing it threateningly at Lavender. It would have been much more intimidating without the egg dangling from its end...

Lavender did not look at all pleased.

"Common courtesy, I suppose. Scumbags like you ought be locked away all in the same place... I suppose that is why there is the Slytherin house."

"And Azkaban prison." he heard Parvati giggle from the other side of his girlfriend's assailant. Raising the hand he held from below the table, Harry swallowed his food and spoke placidly,

"She," he countered, "is not scum." he placed his fork on the table and pointed to Lavender accusingly, "and if you had any sense whatsoever, you'd realize that _I,_" he hung on to the word for a noticeably long time, "of ALL people, did not nag her or mouth her into leaving."

Ron turned to Lavender and mumbled,

"I don't understand it either." Hermione railed on him,

"They're happy!" she grunted, "Just leave them be! We've known for centuries...," she continued to grumble at him about how the houses would need to be united and how this may have been the bravest attempt at such an action. Ron simply ignored her and continued to eat.

"Well, well." said an eerie voice from behind them. "If it isn't Ms. Parkinson."


	9. Pansy and Potty, So Terribly Naughty

The scraggly form of Professor Severus Snape towered above them. The corner of his frown twitched as he grabbed Pansy's shoulder.

"P...p...professor?" she stammered. Seeing her head of house did remotely the same thing it did for Harry...

"Tell me, Ms. Parkinson, what did he do to deserve this?" Professor Snape wasn't at all inquiring about the motives behind some terrible scheme of hers... no, no. He was inquiring about the relationship he knew _so _much about. Harry did have to admit, however, that it was this grease-ball that noticed the spark first...

"Many things." started Pansy, she, however, was interrupted by a particularly stern-looking Transfiguration Professor, Harry's head of house.

"All of which, Severus, are none of your concern." she glared at him till he walked resentfully down and out of the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall smiled at the couple and made her own merry way out.

"Now, where were we?" giggled Pansy. "Oh, yes!"

She planted a quick kiss on his cheek and smiled. Ron grunted in annoyance. Ginny, however, looked rather jealous.

"Speaking of Transfiguration," said Harry quickly, "If we don't get a move on we're going to be late." Harry was never so glad to have so many classes with the Slytherins. As he raced out of the Great Hall, Pansy's hand in his, they charged toward their class.

"We've made it." he said, completely out of breath as he plopped down in the seat next to Pansy, Ron and Hermione just behind them, taking seats themselves.

The second Harry took his seat, Professor McGonagall shot off her desk in the form of her Animagus, a tabby cat, and transformed before their eyes. She did this rather often, and it became less impressive with each time. Nonetheless, the class applauded politely.

"Today, you will use your textbooks to expand on the five exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. You already know you title headings: Food, Love, Life, Money, and Information. I want ten inches on my desk before tomorrow's class starts." she used chalk to scribble the names of the titles on the board, then walked toward Harry's desk.

As she leaned down between the two of them, she whispered, "My office. Both of you. Now."

Not at all wanting to get on the bad side of the one professor who would aid them in standing up to Professor Snape, Harry, gently taking Pansy's hand, stood and followed her into her office.

As the door closed, she instantly waved her wand at it, likely protecting it from unwelcome listeners.

"Now," she began, "I'm well aware of your relationship." she sat down in her large chair and motioned them to do the same. "Actually, most of the staff is now. Snape is quite livid about it."

"What does he care about us?" groaned Pansy, pulling herself closer to Harry.

"Not you, Ms. Parkinson." McGonagall said monotonously. "_Him." _she pointed to Harry.

"Yes, me." grunted Harry. "He's had it out for me since I came here first year."

"So I've noticed." mumbled Pansy.

"The point is," continued McGonagall, "that he is not at all happy about the relationship. He is convinced that Mr. Potter is only out to... hmm... how did he put it, 'get in your pants' and then 'screw you over'." The words absolutely disgusted her as she said them. "In effect, he feels this is a ploy by a Gryffindor to deface the name of Slytherin."

Harry pulled Pansy closer and caressed her back with the arm previously wrapped 'round her.

"We're thirteen for God's sakes!" hissed Pansy. "We're not about to have some special slumber party!" The innuendo was almost too much for Harry to fight the laughter that so desperately fought to erupt from within him. In the end, his anger and frustration prevented it.

"This is hardly a ploy." Harry fumed.

"Yes, and any reasonable person can see that." McGonagall explained, "But he's not exactly that at the moment, is he? Either way, I've brought you in here to warn you against what he might try to do. I urge you to exercise caution around him. There's no telling what he would do to you if..."

"We show what we feel for one another?" growled Harry, "No offense, Professor, but we're not going to act like _him _just because he's bitter." Harry pulled Pansy into chest gently, "He may not think so, but we ARE in love." Harry was proud of himself. Harry could have sworn he heard a loud crashing sound coming from the classroom.

"You _think _you are. You're thirteen! Even so,..."

"Thank you, Professor, but we really must be getting to work on the essay." Harry interrupted rudely. "Thank you." he repeated as he stood, Pansy doing the same. McGonagall stood and walked to the door, agitation very clear in her voice.

"Just watch yourselves, Parkinson, Potter." she said bitterly.

As they left her office, they noticed the classroom had turned to complete disarray. Peeves the Poltergeist was enjoying his stay.

"Pansy and Potty  
So terribly naughty"...

His song was cut off by a shrill screech from Professor McGonagall,

"PEEVES! DON'T MAKE ME GET THE BARON!"


	10. Confrontation

The rest of the day had been quite uneventful. On his way to dinner, he had a rather enjoyable chat with Sir Nicholas.

"Well, hello! You must be the lovebirds we ghosts are hearing about!" he said merrily, his head shook threateningly, preparing to fall from its host body at a moment's notice.

"That'd be us." said Pansy proudly, her chest puffing in front of her elegantly.

"Snape is all bitter about it, too." said Harry sourly, "Greasy old git."

"Couldn't spot true love if it hit him on the back of the head." joked Pansy, placing her head cutely on Harry's shoulder to prove their relationship.

"Actually," said Sir. Nicholas, "On the contrary, he did." he raised his eyebrows as Pansy made to remark, "Not that I endorse such an action." Sir Nicholas suddenly had a very guilty look upon his face and had left them to laugh at the conversation.

* * *

After delaying their separation as long as he could, Harry finally made his way up to the Gryffindor common room, giving Pansy a good-night kiss as he did so. Walking through the portrait of the Fat Lady, he was met by a red-head friend of his.

"You lied to us!" he growled. "You said you had no feelings for her!"

"Had being the operative word." corrected Harry. This only infuriated Ron further. Seamus and Dean walked in behind Ron to see what the matter was.

"She's a _Slytherin_." he hissed. Harry was rather perturbed to see Ron alone. He was sure his female defender and knowledge-well was off, nose-deep, in some shelf-sized book at the library.

"And? That doesn't make her inherently evil." Harry countered. He wouldn't let even Ron ruin this relationship with Pansy. Best friends just understand. Hermione did.

"It makes her inherently not-good." growled Ron, using his fingers to mimic horns on the side of his head. It made him look rather stupid, but it amused Harry some.

"You're just jealous." spat Harry, folding his arms as Pansy had done on countless occasions. Her personality was already beginning to rub off on him... perhaps it had been there the whole time?

"Of what?" queried Ron. He was quite clearly lost by Harry's previous statement.

"I've admitted my feelings for the girl I love." said Harry bluntly, "You, on the other hand, have not so much as gotten near your bookworm crush for fear of... what? A paper cut?" he added snidely, knowing that pushing Ron's crush on Hermione would either irritate him into silence or defensive mode (giving Harry a shot at a much deserved break from the endless attacks.)

"You talking about Hermione?" inquired Ron as Harry's words sank in.

"Yes." said Harry simply.

"I don't have feel..." Ron began, as he tried to finish his words, he was quickly cut of by Dean Thomas.

"Oh, yes, you do." he said quickly. Dean was nearly laughing.

"It's bleeding obvious, Ron." Seamus added, mussing Ron's hair as he did so.

After what seemed like a full minute of silence, Ron had finally cooled down enough to unfold his arms.

"Just ask her, man! She's gotta feel something!" Dean said, grinning widely as he did so.

"Just the urge to beat every inch of him." Hermione's voice came from the Portrait entrance. "Ronald! What did I tell you about grilling Harry about Pansy?" Hermione had heard at least the last part of the conversation. She was furious.

Just as was common for the two, they slipped into their fits of bickering and whining. Harry wasn't entirely sure if he was to blame for this, but didn't really care. After wishing the two a goodnight (to which they responded quickly, then jumped back on one another's throats) he strolled up the stairs to a much-deserved night's rest.**  
**


	11. At the Black Lake

Harry lay awake on his bed, pondering the days occurrences. My, had it been one hell of a day. Kneading his forehead with his knuckles to relieve what little he could of his stress migraine, Harry sighed and flopped his arms lazily at his sides. It would be no use. He couldn't sleep without her...  
**  
**"What's it like?" asked Neville quietly, but audibly, from across the dormitory. It was quite unlike Neville to be so inquisitive in matters of romantic interest, but, nonetheless, he was sure it was Neville's voice.

"Hmm? Having someone to love you?" asked Harry sleepily. He would have phrased it to be less hurtful had he been more awake.

"Yeah, how'd you do it?" Neville did not seem to mind the bluntness of Harry's response. His voice remained quiet, calm, and lucid.

Harry pondered the question. He really had done very little to win Pansy's affections. Were it not for her rather blunt show of passion in the Entrance Hall he would likely have never been in the relationship. Scratching his head, he realized that he had done one thing. He had known... without knowing.. that he had feelings for her as well.

"Ya just kinda know, I guess." Harry said, turning his head on his pillow in hopes of acquiring a more comfortable position.

"What's it like?" he asked softly. Harry knew Neville was always the innocent soul of their year. He always would be, it was just how he was.

Neville was never one to stick his nose where it didn't belong or where it was unwanted, but was always willing to lend a hand when asked, or offer a shoulder to cry on when needed.

(_Harry never needed Neville's shoulder... Or did he? The author questioningly raises his eyebrows... we shall never know.)_

"There's no greater feeling." said Harry simply. It was true. He had never felt so complete in his life. He had always, despite having friends who cared for him, felt alone. He had friendship, but had never had parents, nor had he, before Pansy, had anyone to love him in a way that only parents and lovers could. He would never feel alone again. Never alone.

After taking Harry's words in, Neville let out a soft sigh and rolled over under his covers.

"Thanks, Harry."

"G'night, Neville." replied Harry, once again closing his eyes and surrendering himself to the world of dreams.

* * *

That Saturday, Harry found himself enjoying the day with Pansy along the shore of the Black Lake. The wind gently caressed the faces of the two lovers as they lay, sprawled out across the browning grass.

Pansy's head lay ever so carefully in Harry's lap. Unconsciously stroking her hair lovingly, he closed his eyes to burn this moment into his memory forever.

"How'd we get here?" she purred. Harry opened his eyes and turned to face her sparkling eyes. Her soft, pale skin glowed under the morning sunlight.

"We walked down from the castle." said Harry stupidly. Playfully, Pansy swatted him and giggled,

"Not that, silly. I mean, how'd two members of opposing houses end up madly in love?" Her bright smile refused to fade.

"I blame you." Harry laughed, pulling her closer.

"Blame, eh?" she poked his nose accusingly and laid herself atop him, preparing to tickle _every_ inch of him. Harry reached for her hands hand graciously prevented her from doing so, entwining her fingers with his own.

"If you hadn't kissed me to shut me up, I'd never have inquired..." Harry began to explain. It would seem Pansy wasn't interested however, she closed gap of the few centimeters still remaining between their love-filled faces and kissed him.

"And?" she asked. Harry caressed her soft, blushing cheek and pulled her into a full-body hug.

"I've never been gladder I did."


	12. I Peed in His Cauldron

"Hermione?" mumbled Ron, scribbling the last of his Transfiguration essay.

"Yes, Ron?" she said clearly, gently placing her quill down on her parchment, turning to look at Ron.

"This whole Pansy-Harry thing had me thinkin'." said Ron, the words only trickling nervously from his mouth.

"I"m not in the mood, Ronald." snapped Hermione, raising her eyebrows threateningly, then returning to her paper. She wore a scowl that could tame even Mrs. Weasley.

"I mean you're smart and pretty and..." Ron began, his voice quivering terribly with nerves.

"What do you want, Ronald?" she shot, glaring at him from the corner of her eye. He only ever complimented her when he wanted something from her. She wasn't about to be taken for granted or stomped on to do_ his_ homework.

"You." she said simply. She dropped her quill and turned to him, her face hiding all the shock that was bottled up inside her.

She had wanted his affections since the end of her first year here at Hogwarts, and, now, finally, she would receive them. He felt the same way about her!

Well, she had known that, but the relationship was a godsend nonetheless.

* * *

"Ms. Parkinson, Mr. Potter." chimed the potions teacher as Harry walked, hand-in-hand, with Pansy to his potions class. As he attempted to take his seat beside her, Snape growled in annoyance.

"No, no. You will take your seat with Mr. Malfoy." his smiled widened. Oh, how he loved to frustrate Harry into non-existence. If only his previous attempts had succeeded... "Ms. Parkinson, you'll take your seat beside Ms. Granger. And, both of you will receive detention for your cheek."

"Cheek?" queried Harry, his voice rising slightly.

"In the Great Hall earlier." responded Pansy as she released his hand, exchanging with his a look of dire sadness. She walked slowly to the seat beside Hermione.

"Yes, Potter, now take your seat." Snape's grin only widened further.

"Would you prefer lip instead?" Shot Harry in his frustration. He'd normally hold his tongue around Snape for fear of retribution, but he just didn't care now. Snape was being intentionally evil. Moreso than normal, anyway.

Pansy grinned widely at Harry, pursing her lips only to lick them sensuously.

"Oh, I don't think so, hon. Save your lips for me." she said seductively, ignoring the environment and teacher overseeing them. The class broke into nervous laughter, causing Harry to blush violently.

Rolling his eyes, Snape proceeded to relay his instruction to the class. Today, they would be making a simple Sweeting Potion. As Snape completed his instruction and turned to his cauldron, Harry spoke quietly and snidely,

"My old friend." Sarcasm so very apparent in his voice.

"Pansy may have taken a liking to you, doesn't mean I have." Draco hissed, cutting his beetroot.

"Fair enough." said Harry calmly, raising his blade to do the same.

As the strangeness and awkwardness of the situation enveloped him, Harry turned to take a look at his girlfriend. Giggling energetically with Hermione, Pansy smiled back and winked. He was glad Hermione was able to along with her. Much more of this, Harry thought, and the two might even become best friends. Ron looked absolutely agitated.

"You really do love her, don't you?" Malfoy drawled.

Harry smiled distractedly and mhmmed.

Draco sighed and put his hand on Harry's shoulder, shaking it slightly. Harry turned to face him.

"Just take good care of her, will ya?"

After what Harry would consider and most profitable potions class (Draco had come to 'tolerate' Harry, Pansy befriended Hermione, and Harry had thoroughly annoyed Snape) Harry walked to Pansy, clumsily carrying his cauldron and potions textbook. Freeing what he could, he took Pansy's hand.

As Harry turned back for one last glare, Snape enthusiastically poured himself a glass of Sweetening Potion, the chugged the large goblet whole. For good measure, Snape licked his lips appreciatively.

"Better than usual." he said happily. T'was strange to see him in such a merry mood.

Pansy laughed so hard that she muted herself for need of air.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked, exchanging a puzzled look with Ron

Hermione joined in the fit of giggles. Something was most definitely up. Hermione was not one to giggle like this. Ron took her hand and gently turned her face toward him.

"Well, what is it? What's so funny?" he inquired, looking nearly twice as confused as Harry did. Pansy cackled,

"I peed in his cauldron."

Snape, overhearing her words, looked up in horror.


	13. The Things You Do

It had been a long day. Harry smiled. A long day with Pansy. What could have been better?

To make a happy situation even happier, Snape had been too tied up in his hallway patrol, and as such had to dump the couple on Hagrid for detention, making it an even more enjoyable detention.

After walking with Pansy down the cobblestone pathway to Hagrid's hut, Harry knocking loudly on the door. Fang growled, bravely defending his half-giant's home.

"Ah, yeh'd be here for detention." Hagrid mumbled after opening the door, pushing Fang back with his foot as he did so. Hagrid had a large pair of very sharp looking shears in his right hand.

"Now. We'll be cuttin' the pumpkins free from the vines for the Hallowe'en feast." he mumbled, tossing the enormous shears over his shoulder as he stepped out of his house and closed the door.

"Without magic?" Pansy asked, her voice a little shaky. Pansy had never gotten along too well with Hagrid. Harry knew this was because of her association with Malfoy, but, nonetheless, she was a brave soul.

"Blimey, no." Hagrid chuckled "'s Not a Muggle blade in all o' Britain that could cut through these vines." he stomped his way down to the pumpkin patch, his two detention attendees following close behind him.

Harry was even more excited. Not only was detention with Hagrid, they were permitted to use magic. What was this, a game? It hardly seemed like punishment. Even Pansy cheered a little.

As they met the first row of plump pumpkins, Harry's eyes bulged. They were enormous. Each easily the size of a small house, their vines would most certainly have required an entire battalion of Muggle swordsman to make a night's progress.

Hagrid pulled the shears down from around his shoulder and wrapped its blades 'round the large vine. The loud 'slump' noise the vine made as it was severed was a little unnerving, but, Harry walked to his first pumpkin and muttered "_Diffindo_." Pansy walked to her first pumpkin beside Harry and did the same.

"I thought you said no blade in Britain could cut through the vines?" Harry asked, confused that the blade was able to severe the vine.

"No _Muggle _blade, 'Arry. These's Dumbledore's enchanted shears. Uses 'em for trimmin' his toe nails, I 'spect." Hagrid chuckled merrily, placing his hand on his belly as he did so, giving him a striking resemblance to the Muggle holiday hero 'santa'.

Pansy and Harry joined in on the laughing. It was a rather amusing thought.

"So, word has it you two is together." Hagrid asked.

Placing his arm around Pansy, Harry pulled her closer to him and hugged her, then kissed her cheek.

"It would seem word has it right." Hagrid chuckled, his smile wide and completely obvious.

After finishing the first row of pumpkins, Hagrid looked up at Harry and prompted,

"Why dun you two mosey on o'er there, I'll take these'n's." Harry couldn't have been happier. Now he could speak to Pansy alone... in the dark. How much more romantic could it get?

Working their way away from Hagrid, they continued to slice through the thick vines with the _diffindo_ spell.

Pansy, taking it to be somewhat of a game, got a little excited with one of her spells. As it landed on the vine, the vine exploded, scattering little pieces of brown and green floral confetti everywhere. Harry chortled.

"What?" asked Pansy innocently.

Harry smiled widely.

"Oh, it's just the things you do." he replied kindly, subtly shaking his head as he did so.

"What, am I not good enough for you now?" she queried, a hint of vulnerability and concern in her voice.

"Oh, no, no." Harry responded quickly. "It's the cute little things you do." he walked toward her slowly, "I doubt you even consciously do most of them."

"Like what?" she grunted, folding her arms.

"Well, like that." he chuckled. As he did so, she forced her arms down at her side. Harry walked toward her and held her, looking into her eyes. That sparkle still hung there. It could charm a thousand of the worlds most virile men.

"And that smile." he whispered.

Pansy laughed warmly, pulling herself in closer to Harry. She gave a slight shiver.

"It feels so cold out here all of a sudden."

"The Dementors." Harry said seriously, trying to warm her as best he could. "They pull all the warmth and happiness out of a place."

She held his hand. For a moment they stood there, swaying to and fro where they stood.

"I'm learning how to use magic that repels them, called a Patronus." he said suddenly.

"Hmm? Really how does it work?"

"You just think of a positive memory," Harry answered. "And use it to conjure the Patronus. While it survives, the Patronus will act like a shield against the Dementors, feeding on it instead of you."

"I've never much liked the Dementors." she admitted.

"Neither have I, Pansy. Neither have I."


	14. The Serpent's Sting

The following morning at breakfast, Harry awaited the arrival of Pansy. They had now been together for several weeks, and it was somewhat of a tradition to meet one another at the doors for a morning kiss and escort.

But this morning, Pansy had not arrived with her Slytherin escort. Alone, Draco raced toward Harry, out of breath and panicky.

"Where's Pansy?" Harry asked, fear racing through him.

"That's what I've come to tell you! She's missing!" Draco's voice was strained. Not at all its normal, irritated or hostile self.

"Missing? Has the staff been informed?"

"Snape knows." He said dully. Nodding his head as he did so, placing his hand on his knee to help catch his breath.

"Oh, he'll do nothing about it." said Hermione fearfully, tears starting to form down her cheeks. Hermione and Pansy had become the best of friends, even like sisters.

"She's Slytherin. Of course he will." retorted Draco.

"He might have before I started the relationship with her." Harry countered, his voice shaking, too. He was fighting back tears himself.

"We've got to tell Professor McGonagall." Hermione sniffed.

The group raced into the Great Hall, turning as many heads as could hear their loud breathing, sobbing, and footsteps. Dumbledore was no where to be seen at the staff table, but, in her chair with an unforgettable expression of startled surprise, sat Professor Minerva McGonagall.

From the Gryffindor table, Ginny watched intently.

"Mr. Potter? Mr. Malfoy? Is something wrong?" Professor McGonagall stood and leaned over the table, whispering to the students in hopes that none in the halls would overhear.

"They're getting along!" Ron whined, pointing in turn to each Harry and Draco, "Need I say more?"

"It's about Pansy, she's gone missing!" The words erupted from Harry, his emotions forced their way through. The better of him was missing...

"Missing? She's only been gone a few hours, Mr. Potter." Snape was not at all concerned. He sat, buttering himself a biscuit, leaned back in his chair.

"You don't understand." Harry spat, "She was supposed to meet me here for breakfast this morning. It's somewhat of a tradition." Harry explained his situation as best as he could. Snape still did not show the slightest inkling of concern.

"Perhaps something has tied her up?" He mused aloud, taking a large bite.

"Or someone." Harry and Hermione glared ferociously at Snape, wanting to skin him alive and tear every bone from his body.

Harry had never felt so stressed in his life. He had known life without Pansy, yes, it was true. But, as the saying goes, once you have something and lose it, it hurts far more than if you never had it.

"I've checked the entirety of the common room, sir." Malfoy continued, he himself becoming disgusted by his head of house's lack of concern. "I even had Ms. Bulstrode search the female dormitories. She _is _missing!"


	15. The Guilty Manor

Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Draco raced out of the Great Hall, Ginny and McGonagall following close behind.

As they appeared in front of the gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmaster's office, Professor McGonagall shouted,

"Gummy Bears" The Gargoyle leapt aside.

"What's a gummy bear?" Draco asked, utterly confused by the thought of an enormous, squishy, fuzzy bear. He scratched his head.

"Beats me." said Ron simply, following Harry up the steps.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Harry and Hermione began to beat on the door furiously. McGonagall tried to calm them down, but, with all the things racing through their minds about what could have happened to her, they weren't about to let anything go.

"Dear me," mumbled Dumbledore, his voice seemed entirely unconcerned "it would seem someone desperately desires my company, wouldn't you say, Fawkes? What seems to be the problem, Minerva?" his voice cleared, but, all the same, it remained quite calm.

"The Parkinson girl has gone missing." blurted McGonagall.

"Ah, yes." said Dumbledore, his head raising in acknowledgment. He raised his hands in a half-hearted effort to settle the panicked teens down. "Sweet Pansy. Harry's... romantic interest."

Dumbledore walked slowly to a glass that greatly resembled a mirror. Staring into it with his blue eyes reflecting brightly off it's surface, he blinked and stood upright, his ancient back popping as he did.

"Severus has already told me of the matter." he said simply, smiling to the students.

Hermione glanced off at Draco, who wore the look of a very smug, and ... she hated to admit to herself,_ right, _Slytherin. She scowled.

"And, you see, I've been looking into it." Dumbledore said, again turning his attention to the mirror-like device.

"Looking into it? How? Locked up in your office?" shot Ron, not at all convinced.

Dumbledore simply ignored Ron's outburst and replied,

"You see," he began, "every under-aged student has a magical trace on them. If they feel any emotion whatsoever, they, like all those of magical heritage do, will emit a trace amount of magic."

Dumbledore focused Hard on a particularly shiny piece of the glass. She shot up and smiled widely toward Harry.

"You're in a great deal of luck, Harry." he said happily.

Harry looked up at his headmaster questioningly. Now was not at all the time to be cheery.

"Hmm?"

"She's in the home of one 'Lucius Malfoy'." he said.

Everyone turned to look at Draco. Professor McGonagall's nostrils flared, Hermione's followed suit. Ron looked positively ready to beat the daylights out of him, and even Harry had the urge to decapitate him there and then.

So Pansy was locked off at Draco's home. Draco surely knew this, but chose to keep it hidden from them anyway.

_'There's going to be hell to pay.'_ thought Harry angrily. _'I'll make sure of that.'_


	16. Her Great Defender

The tension in the room exploded in a rush of a vehement surge of anger. Every student looked into another's eyes with utter hate.

"She what?" asked Draco, his voice sounding whole-heartedly confused.

Harry wasn't at all concerned with Draco's play for innocent, whipping out his wand, Harry mutter the first curse that came to mind,

"_Diffindo!_"

The curse cut into Draco's cheek, which now spurted scarlet blood all over the front of his robes.

"You lied to us! _Diffindo!_" the second curse it just above Draco's eye, where, it too began bleeding rapidly.

"You lied to us! You..."

"What the ruddy...?" Draco began, only to be cut off by a fist that met his jaw. A cracking noise echoed in the headmaster's office.

Jumping behind Malfoy, Hermione pulled him to the ground on top of her. Malfoy shot up again, only to wheel around to growl at his savior,

"Keep off me, Mudblood." he spat, raising his eyebrows hostilely. Upon hearing these words, Ron leapt from where he stood and send his bunched fist reeling into Malfoy's nose. It, too, made a loud crack.

Malfoy flew backward, crashing into Dumbledore's desk, breaking some rather fragile magical devices.

Harry made for another lunge at Draco, only to make a loud "omph" as he was grabbed 'round the stomach and thrown back by Ginny Weasley.

Harry looked up at Ginny. She was small but damn was she strong.

Ron took yet another swing for Malfoy's face. Hermione, rather than spare Draco, grabbed the back of Ron's robes and dragged him down to the floor. Squirming ferociously, he wriggled, trying to get out of Hermione's full body pin. Hermione was completely on top of him, and barely only managing to keep him there.

Waving her wand, McGonagall apprehended Draco.

"_Episkey_." she pointed at his nose while he struggled. She turned to Harry and Ron, both being held down by a female friend of theirs, "Now, beating the daylights out of Mr. Malfoy will not bring her back, Mr. Potter. In fact, were it not for the circumstances, you'd have a whole week of detention for your actions."

"I had nothing to do with this." Malfoy whined, spitting out a broken tooth and the blood that had pooled in his mouth.

"Really?" hissed Ginny, relaxing her grip on Harry slighty, "You mean you had nothing to do with your dad mysteriously sneaking into Hogwarts, kidnapping your crush which_ just so happens _to also be you arch-nemesis' girlfriend?"

"Yes." he said simply. He blinked.

"Then prove it." she growled, gritting her teeth.

"Huh?"

"Prove it." Ginny chimed, letting go of Harry and rising, "Help us get her back."

Until now, Harry had always seen Ginny as a shy, quiet person. He now saw the Ginny Ron had referred to during his summertime visit before last school year. She was a strong, powerful woman who was not to be messed with. She was only twelve, sure, but Harry feared her wrath more than the Dursleys'...

"Fine. I've got nothing to hide." he said finally, popping his jaw back into place.

"It's settled, then." said Professor McGonagall, releasing the spell binding Draco, "Unless you feel you need to take another stab at each other before we go?"

Draco and Harry exchanged dark looks of pure loathing. Dumbledore walked out of the room, each person followed.

"How are we getting there?" Harry said quickly as they walked by the Quidditch pitch and off the grounds, remembering whose life was at stake. He needed his Pansy!

"A little thing called apparition." said Dumbledore, holding out his arms to his sides, "Everyone take hold of some part of me."

Everyone walked toward Dumbledore, each taking some free part of him.

"OY! Not that, Minerva!" he chuckled.

Professor McGonagall released his nose and instead settled for his ear.

In a blur of nauseating color, the place at which they had stood left them, and the gloomy streets appeared before them, a large, dark manor stood erected before them.

Walking past the cheeking gate and up the long, winding path to the door, each person breathed silently.

The door to the manor opened in an creepy squeak.

"Well, well. I can't say I haven't been expecting you." said the voice from behind the door, the face of Lucius Malfoy emerging behind it.

He drew his wand.


	17. The Malfoy Manner

"Lucius." said Dumbledore calmly. What was it with Dumbledore being calm? Harry would never know...

"Dumbledore." hissed Lucius Malfoy, his loathing for the Hogwarts headmaster bleeding through his every syllable. Lucius Malfoy raised his wand further, then directed it at Dumbledore.

"Where is the girl, Lucius?" inquired Dumbledore, his head high in the air as if to signify superiority. Like Dumbledore _needed_ to prove himself superior to a Malfoy...

Lucius failed to respond. This made Harry even more livid.

"Where is Pansy!?" He yelled, his voice straining from the volume of his voice.

"Safe." she said simply, preparing to turn around and close the door.

"I SAID, WHERE IS SHE!?" his voice cracked, he was not about to lose Pansy to this... _monster_.

Lucius bared his teeth and shot a glowing white spell at Harry. Ginny, out of instinct, jumped in front of him and took the full blast of it.

He heard at least three ribs break. Ginny winced.

"Dad, where is she?" Draco inquired, he himself getting agitated with the emotionless bastard that was his father.

"Ah, Draco? Away from school, are we?" Lucius chimed, "My, my, sending half the staff and student body in search of a single girl." He raised his eyebrow.

"She's not single." Harry refuted, his arms folded as Pansy's had done so many times before._(Muhahahaha! Another pun!)_

Lucius only ignored him.

"I'd call that..." he began, ready to spit out the foulest poison he could conjure up.

"LOVE." Harry interrupted, unabashed. Behind him, Ginny was rising.

Lucius made a terrible look, his face contorted with a grotesque combination of disgust and loathing.

"Now, now. There's no need to be foolish."

Pulling on the edge of the door, Harry forced the door open with a quick jerk.

"Stupefy!" shot Minerva McGonagall as Lucius became more exposed, a red jet of light streaked across the darkened sky and hit Lucius in the chest.

Walking past his fallen body, Harry gave him a good kick. Draco, luckily, did not see this. (Even so, Draco still gave his own kick for good measure.)

"PANSY, WHERE ARE YOU?" Harry screeched.

There was no response. Harry was fast flying toward hysterics, crying and screaming her name repeatedly.

Ginny refused to let Harry wallow in his sorrow. Taking a firm hand, she gave him a much-needed backhand slap, then took him into a hug, wincing slightly as he crushed her already broken ribs.

"Be strong for her, Harry. She needs you."

Harry sobbed into Ginny's shoulder. For some reason, she was always there to comfort him when he needed it. He never understood why.

"PANSY, WHERE ARE YOU?" Hermione shouted from behind them, she, herself, also very worried about her close friend... her gossip-buddy.

A muffled scream came from somewhere beneath the floor. Harry's eyes shot open as adrenaline rushed through him

"She sounds like she's in the cellar." Draco said, rushing into the next room.

"Cellar?" Hermione and Harry asked as they rushed to follow.

Harry ran to the spot indicated by Draco and rattled the door with all his strength. It would not budge. It had been locked.

"_Alohomora!_" shouted Hermione, brandishing her wand at the lock. It did nothing. The lock was resisting the spell.

"Stand back, Pansy!" Draco shouted as he raised his own wand, "_BOMBARDA!_"

The trapdoor blew away, flying everywhere into tiny pieces. Pansy screamed.

Adrenaline and panic rippling through him, Harry raced down into the rubble and found Pansy.

Her body was limp and unresponsive. She had cuts and lacerations, some likely from the blast, others from torture.

Tears steamed down Harry's cheek. He couldn't lose her this way. He just couldn't.

"Pansy!" He cried, "Pansy! Speak to me!"


	18. You Are My Sky

Harry sat beside Pansy's unconscious form in the Hospital Wing. It had been nearly a week since she had been saved from the Malfoy Manor, nearly a week since Harry had gotten a minute of sleep, and nearly a week since Harry had felt whole.

The better part of his soul was slowly dying beside him. He could feel it. He could feel her, each day, slipping gradually away. That didn't stop him from staying at her side. He skipped all of his classes, despite the insistence by McGonagall that he attended.

He skipped meals in the Great Hall, only eating the occasional snack forced upon him by an equally as concerned Hermione, who spent the entirety of her free time at Harry and Pansy's sides, dragging along a slightly grumpy Ron who tagged along only for time with Hermione.

Harry had not returned to the Gryffindor common room since he had arrived. His absence caused a stir among the Gryffindor crowd, but, those who knew him best, Ron, Hermione, Pansy... were with him, and that was all that mattered.

"I'm right here, Pansy. I'm not going anywhere." he whispered into her ear. The gentleness of his words caused an already sniffing Hermione to sob into Ron's shoulder.

Harry took Pansy's delicate hand in his, turning it over carefully as to prevent adding to her injuries.

All along her body, every part of it that he had helped re-clothe when brought in, had been scarred, bruised, torn, cut, or broken. Her breathing was irregular and inconsistent. Even now there were moments when he had thought she had finally stopped...

"It's no use talking to her, Mr. Potter." Madam Pomfrey had said, "She's so far out of it, I'm not sure she'll ever regain consciousness."

Re-hearing these words caused Harry to tear again and look to the heavens. Why did life have to be so unfair? Why, when he finally had found someone to love, and to love him in return, was she being taken away from him, confiscated like a prohibited toy...

"Pansy, I know you're in there. Please, wake up. Please" he cried, stroking her wrist gently with his thumb.

A pair of tears raced down the sides of his face, each sparkling brightly in the dusk sunlight. He closed his eyes... sparkles just like the ones that glistened in her lively eyes when she smiled.

"Pansy, please." he begged, pulling himself as close to her as he could without being on her.

Lovingly, he took his free hand and caressed her pale cheek, combed her pitch black hair.

He remembered that fateful day, when, what seemed like so long ago, they had exchanged harsh words with one another in the hall, only to end in a kiss that solidified their future relationship.

He remembered playing with Pansy's mind in Divination, pretending to see her visit to him at his bedside.

He remembered caring for her wound in detention... and their first kiss. The thoughts of their time together raced through his mind, like rubbing salt in old wounds, they tore through him, threatening to tear him apart just as her injuries were doing to her.

"I never told you how much I love you, Pansy" he sobbed as her breathing paused, "Never said how much you mean to me."

It was never like Harry to cry. Never like Harry to show any emotion, really. He had so carefully bottled them up, so carefully kept them hidden from anyone, especially Ron and Hermione. But now, more than ever, he needed to let his emotions drown him.

"Not having you with me... it's like part of my soul is gone." he whispered, watching her chest rise and fall unsteadily, "A piece of me is missing. I love you so, so much, Pansy."

Again, he caressed the side of her cheek, standing slightly to kneel over her, he softly dedicated the words at his lips to her memory,

"You are my world." he kissed her forehead gently and weeped bitterly.

Ever so slightly, Pansy's arm moved toward his cheek and brushed it softly,

"And you are my sky." pain still in her voice.

Harry fainted.**  
**


	19. The Astronomy Tower

Over the next several weeks, Pansy's condition improved. She, despite Madam Pomfrey's previously grim view of chance, made a full-enough recovery to leave the Hospital Wing. She was still very sore, but, to Harry's joy, completely alive and her usual sassy self. 

Harry found that spending time with Pansy was something he never, ever wanted to so much as have the chance at losing again. Each night for several days, Pansy and Harry had met up at the Astronomy Tower together, to kiss, to speak of the others day (however miserable it had been without the other), to kiss some more, and, when the mood seemed right, to talk a little.

"I really thought I was going to lose you." said Harry softly, Pansy cradled in his arms. His voice was tender and loving, as Pansy had become most completely addicted to. She snuggled closer into him, taking in his scent through her nostrils, she branded it in her memory.

"I felt you fading, and I was..." Harry choked, he, even now, still dreaded the days when he had nearly lost her, "I was fading with you."

"And when I came to, you fainted." giggled Pansy, smiling widely, her trademark sparkle in her eyes, "If Hermione hadn't caught you, you'd either have had severe amnesia or met your maker."

"The Hogwarts floor is NOT my maker." joked Harry sarcastically. Pansy cackled maniacally.

Harry looked around him. The view was absolutely breathtaking. He could see the shimmering waves of the Black Lake, the Forbidden Forest in all its glory, he could see the violet sky, untainted by Muggle lighting.

"You know," asked Harry, looking directly into Pansy's eyes and stroking her hair, "How much do we actually know about each other?"

"I know lots about you." she responded, smiling as she did so. She leaned upward and kissed him softly.

"All we do is kiss." said Harry dully. Pansy's eyes shot him a fierce glare.

"Not that I'm complaining, believe me!" Harry defended quickly, not wanting to lose her after finally getting her again, "But, I know so little about _you._"

"Maybe..." began Pansy playfully, "Maybe I should keep it that way." she giggled and closed her eyes, then characteristically folded her arms.

"Don't make me tickle you." Harry snaked his arms down from her hair and placed them on the most sensitive parts of her belly.

"Oh, Merlin, no! Not that!" she squeaked. Harry began to tickle her, "Fine! I'll talk, I'll talk! Fire away!"

Harry, sufficiently content with this, returned his hands to their previous locations.

"What are your parents like?" he queried.

"Well, a lot like your standard pureblood maniacs, really." she said simply, waving a pointed finger around animatedly for extra effect.

"Hmm. And what would they think of our relationship?" Harry inquired. If he was ever going to propose to her, he'd need to know what he'd be up against. Parents-in-law, however wonderful they may play upon meeting, were not the most wonderful of creatures. Thank goodness for Muggle sitcoms.

Pansy stared up at him and thought for a moment,

"Whatever I want them to." she said finally. Harry looked at her questioningly.

"If I have to get Gr---Hermione to help me with personality modification charms, I will." she joked, patting Harry's cheek as she did so. Harry smiled.

"What would your parents have thought of our relationship?" Pansy asked, forgetting the painful details surrounding his parents' deaths.

"I don't know, really." Harry answered solemnly. "They were murdered when I was only one."

Pansy began to apologize profusely for bringing up his parents.

"Oh, no, no. It's quite alright." Harry assured her, "I suppose my mom would love to see me with anyone I cared for." he laughed a little.

"And your dad?"

"I think I'd probably have needed Hermione's help with him." Harry answered, laughing loudly as he did so.

Together they lay in the quiet stillness of the night sky, listening to the sounds of nature echo from below.

"I hope this lasts forever." she said softly, pulling him toward her.

"As do I." Harry said, leaning into her, "I love you, Pansy."

Harry smiled.

"I love you, too, Harry." she whispered into his ear, turning her head to sample the taste of his sweet lips.

After several minutes of passionate kissing, the exhausted couple lay cuddled into one another on the cold marble floor, sleeping more soundly than either had done before.


	20. It's About Time

That same night, cuddled up on the puffiest love seat in the Gryffindor common room, is our wonderfully gangly red-head and his favorite bookworm in the whole world, Hermione Granger.

Ever since their coming together many weeks ago, the couple had developed a strong, healthy relationship, strengthened by their years of friendship.

Now that Pansy had been released from the Hospital Wing, Hermione and Ron had their nights free. Harry, they knew, spent each night sneaking around that castle with Pansy, spending as much time as he could with her, leaving the two aforementioned lovebirds plenty of snogging time.

Feeling the warmth of her breath against his neck, Ron turned gradually to face Hermione, whose eyes were laden with fatigue. Ron touched his nose to hers and kissed her lightly.

"I'm glad with finally can do that." he whispered.

"Mhmm." said Hermione sleepily. "Do we really do much more than that, though?"

"No." said Ron honestly, "Does that bother you?"

"I can't say it does." she smiled and, leaning up for another kiss, received it.

The emotions between the two had softened. Their fighting had nearly entirely subsided and thank goodness for it. Each was finally able to show what they felt about the other, seeing as their emotional barriers that had been put into place to prevent one another from discovering their feelings, were no longer in place.

"When did you first know you were in love with me?" Ron asked, sappiness dripping from his every tone.

"First year." she mused, her eyes glazing a little as she walked into her memories "When you sacrificed yourself in the chess match."

Ron had never had the chance to see how concerned she had been, he had been knocked unconscious as the queen had dragged him from the chessboard.

"You?" she asked. Ron giggled. He knew she would never have forgotten this memory.

"When you came into my compartment on the train first year."

"When you had the dirt on your nose?" she queried, rubbing his nose as if to remove the offending substance. Ron blushed a lurid shade of red.

"Yes." he laughed slightly. "That long, eh?"

"Mhmm." she responded, resting her forehead on his chest.

"So, how did a bookworm learn to become so lovey-dovey?" Ron inquired. The question was just begging to be asked.

"Excuse me?" she said, her voice climbing an octave as she did so, "I read more than just..." she swatted him playfully.

Ron cackled, she swatted him again, slightly harder.

"Seems a bit silly, doesn't it? We've loved one another so long..." said Ron finally, coming out of his fit of giggles.

"And it took so long to realize it? To get together? Yeah, a little." said Hermione dully, "But we're together now, that's all that matters, right?"

"Absolutely."

Leaning into him once again, she brushed her lips against his and passionately amplified the kiss, finally releasing with a gasp for air.

"And to think, without the whole Harry-Pansy..." Ron began.

"We wouldn't even be together." Hermione finished. The snuggled into one another, preferring closeness to the complete awkwardness that had once been their relationship.

"She's doing better, yes?" whispered Ron into her ear, his arm caressing her back.

"Yes, but Harry says she's still really sore." said Hermione. Ron raised his eyebrows.

"How do we know that's from her injuries?"

Hermione pushed him away slightly and hit him.

"Hey!" he defended, putting up his arms for protection, "I'm just sayin', they go out every night doing Merlin knows what."

Hermione sighed and mumbled in agreement, allowing him to once again envelop her body.

"Speaking of that whole fiasco, what happened to Malfoy Sr.?"

"He was arrested and sent to Azkaban." Hermione responded.

"Good. That's where he belongs." Ron replied happily.

"Then he was released and cleared of all charges." mumbled Hermione, detesting the words coming from her mouth.

"What!?" shot Ron incredulously. Hermione sighed.

"Minister cleared the whole thing up."

Ron was outraged, but kept his temper down to a slight simmer. Hermione would not allow him to boil and keep with her, she hated being scalded.

"What about Draco?" asked Ron, more calmly.

"He seemed innocent enough to me."

"Just an act. He's a Slytherin, remember?" pried Ron, squeezing her shoulder.

"So is Pansy." Hermione replied fairly.

"I'm just saying, I think he had something to do with it." Ron's voice barely covering his agitation. He was quite upset that his best mate's girlfriend had been kidnapped and torturedand _nearly killed _bythe man that now walked free. _"_How did he know just magically that she was in the cellar?"

"He could hear her screaming." mumbled Hermione, stroking Ron's hair.

"So could we." Ron said, "How did he know she was in there?"

"It _is_ his home." said Hermione stiffly.

"She could have been any number of places." Ron pointed out, grabbing Hermione's hand and entwining her fingers in his own.

"Lucky guess." Hermione shrugged.

"I think he was in on it." said Ron in undertone.

Hermione stared at him, a vacant expression on her face. There might be something to Ron's suspicions. And, if they were correct, Pansy was nowise clear of danger.


	21. The Tormented Pansy

"_Pansy?"_

_Hearing her name made her jump._

_"Draco?" She responded tentatively._

_"Do you love me?" he asked, walking toward her, then resting his hands on her shoulders._

_"No." She responded, pulling away from him._

_"That was quick." he shot, "Don't even want to think on it?"_

_"No."_

_Pansy spun around and began to walk to her dormitory. She was tired and didn't want to deal with this. She just wanted to sleep the night away and wake to Harry in the morning..._

_"Stupefy."_

_She couldn't move. She fought to, but her limbs betrayed her. She tried to scream... nothing came._

She screamed.

"Pansy?" Pansy had sat bolt upright, shaking violently and crying, the occasional trace of screaming between sobs.

Harry held her in his arms as she continued to quiver. He tried as best he could to comfort her, rocking her gently back and forth while she sobbed.

"Pansy," he susurrated, "It's okay, I'm here, Pansy. It was just a dream."

She sniffed and spoke, her words choked-up by her crying,

"It think..." she cried, "I think it was a memory."

"A memory?"

"I've had a huge gap in my memory since the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight.. and then waking up in the Hospital Wing." she rubbed her face into his chest, wiping the tears from her cheeks. She was not only a Slytherin, she was the girlfriend of the Boy-Who-Lived. She had to be strong.

"Yeah, Madam Pomfrey said it was amnesia from the..."

"I'm not so sure." she mumbled.

"Hmm?"

"I think it was a memory charm." she explained, "But a poorly performed one. I think it's breaking." she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him closely. She was still sore from her injuries, but she desperately needed his comfort.

"What did you see?" Harry asked, caressing her cheeks.

"I was fighting with Draco." she broke into sobs again, "And then he stunned me." she shivered, "And... and tha... that's when I woke up... Merlin it's cold out here."

Harry looked up to see the distinct hooded form of a Dementor. Thinking quickly, he whipped out his wand,  
_  
"Where is he?"  
_  
_"_Crucio!_"_

_The pain was so intense, she wished she could die then and there._

_"Where is he?"_

_Blood raced from her pores, she fought a losing battle to retain consciousness. She needed to be able to shout if he came... _when_ he came. She knew he would._

_"Where is who? What is this? Who are you?"_

_The villainous form of Lucius Malfoy emerged from the shadows. His face was contorted with rage and frustration._

_"_Crucio!_" Pansy screamed again, "Have you no pureblood dignity?" he slapped her, "He's a half-blood. Draco..."_

_"I don't love Draco!" she spat, "And pureblood dignity can kiss my..."_

_"_Crucio!_" he yelled kicking her jaw as the spell let up, "Hold your tongue."_

_Pansy involuntarily released another ear-piercing scream. In the distance, she could hear him, she was going to be saved..._

"_Expecto Patronum!_"

From the top of Harry's wand flew a silvery wisp that quickly took the form of a shield, casting the Dementor away.

"Pansy?" he shook her gently, "It was a Dementor." he pulled her to his chest and kissed her forehead, "Pansy, are you okay?"

He let her cry herself to sleep. He remained awake the rest of the night, keeping watch for any wandering Dementors, or, for that matter, anything else that could torment_ his_ Pansy.

"Pans?" asked Hermione at breakfast the next morning, buttering her pancake, "Are you ill?"

"You really don't look too good." said Ron, looking at her with a hint of concern.

"Still a right sight better than you, bro." said Fred and George in unison. Ron scowled.

"She had a rough night last night." said Harry.

"Rough night, eh?" laughed Ron. Hermione elbowed him in the stomach, hard, he dropped his roll. Harry glared at Ron.

"First she had a nightmare... or memory... I'll explain later... Then we.. she... was attacked by a Dementor."

"Dementor?" squeaked Hermione, dropping her knife and fork. "They're not supposed to be on school grounds!"

"It was there, nonetheless." said Harry firmly.

"Do you think that... maybe...?" began Harry quietly, looking side to side for eavesdroppers.

"Yes." said Hermione simply, "We think he was involved in the attacks."

Harry and Hermione took it in turns to explain their reasons behind believing that Draco was behind the kidnapping and the Dementor attack.

"We're going to have to protect her." Harry said, a lightly sleeping Pansy turning in his arms.

Ron looked at Harry and smiled,

"I've got an idea."


	22. Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus

That evening, Harry whipped out his father's invisibility cloak. Together, under its cover, Pansy and Harry made their way to the Slytherin common room. (Hermione had suggested they both use it till they arrived as it would be difficult for Pansy to be certain someone she couldn't see was still behind her.)

"It's over here." whispered Pansy, slipping out from underneath the invisibility cloak and walking up to a stone wall in the dungeons.

"Morsus." mumbled Pansy, the wall moved inward and exposed the lavish green trappings of the dark Slytherin common room. Pansy marched inside, Harry following close behind.

It was late at night, and as such, the room was nearly empty. Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy stood in front of the entrance to the male dormitories.

Wearing a scowl, Pansy walked up to Draco and pointed accusingly.

"I'll meet you upstairs" said Draco, motioning to Crabbe and Goyle to leave, "Go on!"

Their faces never once showed the slightest ounce of intelligence as they turned to leave. Harry fought hard not to burst out laughing.

"Draco." said Pansy harshly.

"Parkinson." he snapped back. Harry could see Pansy's fists tighten as he used her last name. Harry could see she greatly detested being called in this manner and made a mental note to never call her "Parkinson".

"So, _Malfoy._" she shot.

Draco gnashed his teeth and stared her down. Their once friendship had clearly deteriorated into little more than acquaintanceship. Harry knew he was to blame, yet felt not so much as a hint of remorse for it.

"You wouldn't have anything to do with my kidnapping, would you?" she growled, folding her arms as she did so.

Harry couldn't help but think that she may have been a little direct and brash in her approach. Yet, for some reason, it didn't phase Draco.

"I love you, Pansy." he said clearly, attempting to dodge the question. Draco messed with his hair unconsciously.

"That's not the question, is it?" she hissed.

"No." he said simply.

"Did you..." she began.

"No." he repeated, agitation becoming clearer.

There was an awkward silence. The two simply stared at one another as Draco pulled at a thin piece of his hair.

"Did you have anything to do with..." she asked again, igniting Draco's temper.

"NO! I'VE SAID NO ALREADY! WHAT IS IT WITH YOU? EVER SINCE YOU STARTED SNOGGING..."

"Jealous, much?" she laughed.

"Yes." he mumbled angrily. "YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MINE!"

"I'm not property." she growled, slamming her hand down on the top of the recliner beside her.

"POTTER CARRIES YOU AROUND LIKE A TROPHY!" he shouted. Harry was thoroughly surprised to not see a single Slytherin student come down to investigate.

"_**HARRY**_,IT JUST SO HAPPENS, LOVES ME!" she screamed, her voice straining some under the volume and pitch of her words.

"HE'S A HALF-BLOOD, BLO..."

"HE'S A MILLION TIMES BETTER THAN YOU OR YOUR EFFING FATHER WILL EVER BE!" she screeched, slapping him as she finished her words.

"HOW DARE YOU..." Draco growled, whipping out his wand and pointing it threateningly at her throat.

Thinking quickly, Harry lifted the cloak over her head and pulled her to the side and out of Draco's line of fire.

"What the..." he hissed as his spell bounced off a now screaming portrait.

Professor Snape entered through the door, his feet shod with particularly feminine, black flip-flops, and body clothed with a vomit-green nightgown.

"What are you shouting at, Mr. Malfoy?" Snape inquired, thoroughly irritated by the ruckus.

Pansy and Harry sneaked out behind their Potions master and raced through the halls and up to the main floor.

"That was close..." Pansy panted, catching her breath.

"It's definitely him, though." Harry breathed, "No innocent person would have reacted that way." Harry stood. "He practically admitted to doing it."

"Yeah, but what can we do about it?"

"Hermione'd know." Harry replied, gazing into Pansy's eyes.

Now, moving more slowly, Pansy and Harry made their way to Gryffindor tower...


	23. Hermione's Wisdom

Racing through the Halls as fast as they could under the invisibility cloak, Pansy and Harry stopped in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Balderdash."

"It is not!" said a neighboring portrait.

"I told you_ yesterday_ that that was the password, Vi!"

"Yes, but no one is there!"

"Oh.. yes... I see."

"JUST OPEN THE DAMNED DOOR!" yelled Pansy, getting incredibly irritated.

The door swung open quickly, Pansy and Harry ran through the opening and pulled the invisibility cloak off of them in front of a nearly empty common room. Only Hermione and Ron had awaited their arrival...

And had decided to pass the time by snogging. Harry felt a little sick seeing his best female friend do those kinds of things to his best male friend.. it just didn't feel right... didn't _look_ right for that matter.

"Oy!" shouted Harry, "Get a room, you two."

Ron and Hermone jumped apart.

"We were fine till you two barged in here..." Ron growled "Hang on she's Sly..."

"I know." said Harry quickly, "After what we found out she'd be safer in a dorm full of Gryffindors than with the Slytherins."

"That bad, eh?" mumbled Ron.

"Yes." said Pansy in a small voice.

"Well, so is he in on it?" asked Hermione earnestly.

"We can assume so, yes." Harry replied, holding Pansy closer to him.

Harry and Pansy took it in turns to explain the events that transpired in the Slytherin common room.

"So he's in on it." Ron said after staring blankly at Harry for nearly a minute. (If he did much more Pansy would start to get jealous and Hermione would question his sexuality...)

"Almost certainly." said Pansy.

"I'm not entirely convinced" Hermione said slowly, pulling Ron's hand into her lap. Ron turned to her,

"He's practically admitted to it, Hermione!"

"I know." Hermione huffed. "But he loves her, he said so himself. He wouldn't want harm to come to her."

"Then why'd he try attacking her?" Ron inquired. He knew he had her when she sat back and sighed.

"That's true." she nodded, not wanting to believe herself.

Hermione and Ron shifted uneasily in their seats, they scooted over, making room for Pansy and Harry.

"Did he do anything strange?" asked Hermione as Harry plopped down beside Pansy "Like out of character? You know him really well, Pansy. Was he doing anything odd?"

"He did keep messing with his hair." replied Harry quickly.

"That's normal. He's always screwing with it." Pansy said, looking directly in Harry's eyes as she did so. She then leaned over to Harry and whispered, "He should just _ahem_ it already."

Harry and Pansy burst out laughing.

Hermione hmmed as their giggling subsided.

"I still think he's in on it." Ron said, wrapping his arm more closely to Hermione.

"Yeah. But we don't have any solid proof." Hermione groaned.

"I know," Harry said concernedly, "But Pansy's certainly not safe there."

Hermione sunk back into Ron's arms. Pansy sniffed and crawled into Harry's.

"We'd have to..." Harry began, "bend the rules a little. But we could sneak her into your dorm, Hermione."

"Lavender would never allow it." Hermione said, waving her arm, "She'd have her reported before she got to sleep."

"Damn," said Harry grumpily "There's got to be some way."

"She could sleep with you, Harry." suggested Ron, "We'd just have to explain to the guys what's going on, they'd understand."

"Then they'd all want hot Slytherin girl cuddle-buddies." Harry joked.

Pansy blushed brightly. Harry kissed her cheek.

"Hmm" Ron said, "Maybe. But I think they'd let it fly."

"Absolutely not." Hermione shot it down as quickly as she drew a breath, "That breaks every code of conduct in the..."

"So does having me in here, Hermione." Pansy reasoned.

"At least you'd be safe." Hermione said, defeated.

"True... and if you have any more of those nightmares Harry'll be there to comfort you." Ron interjected.

Hermione sighed, then nodded her agreement.

"We'll still have to tell McGonagall in the morning." said Hermione quietly.

"About her sleeping with Harry to protect her?" Ron grumped, "Oh, yeah, that'd go over well." he made up a face that Harry was sure was supposed to be an imitation of his best friend. "I can see it now. 'Hey, Professor, we're gunna sleep in the same bed for a few months, we won't be shagging each other or anything... "

"Not about that." Hermione corrected, Harry glared at Ron, "But at least that she's in danger. Surely McGonagall will believe that much after what happened to her."

"I hope so." Pansy cried. Harry kissed her softly.

"I know so." he said, stroking her cheek and smiling.


	24. According to McGonagall

"You sleep okay?" asked Harry the following morning as Pansy turned over.

"Really well, actually." she smiled, kissing him.

"Hey guys," said Harry behind the curtains of his comfortable four-poster bed. "I need to tell you something."

Harry pulled back the curtain to three faces, belonging to Dean, Seamus, and Neville. Seamus looked thoroughly amused.

"You dog!" he said, punching Harry's shoulder playfully.

"Not quite, Seamus." Harry said, putting his feet over the side of the bed.

Dean sniggered, even Neville smiled.

"Remember how Pansy was nearly killed about a month ago?" Harry said very seriously as Pansy sat-up beside him, playing with his hair and yawning.

"Yeah." said Neville plainly.

"They're out to do it again." said Harry, his face still quite serious.

"Again?" Neville inquired, quite concerned.

"Yes." mumbled Pansy, setting her head on Harry's left shoulder.

"They arrested the guy that did it last time, right?" said Neville in a small voice. Neville was genuinely concerned. Harry loved him for that. Never a foul word to say about anyone.

"Yeah. He got off and his son's in on it, too." said Pansy clearly, rubbing Harry's right shoulder with her hand. "At least that's what we believe."

"She'll be sleeping in here for a while till she's safe again." said Harry, glancing at each of his dorm mates in turn. "I know its a little awkward having a female in here, but we'll keep the curtains shut at night and so on."

"Doesn't stop the noise." Ron blurted.

Dean and Seamus both dropped to the floor with laughter. Harry could hardly believe how lightly they were taking her security. He glared at Ron.

* * *

Leaving the Gryffindor common room with Pansy unnoticed was a might bit easier than expected. Despite their hearty laughter about Pansy, Dean, Seamus, Neville, and Ron all aided in concealing her as they left for the Great Hall.

Walking in through the great stone doors, Pansy, Harry, Hermione, and Ron walked calmly up to the staff table, where, once again, Dumbledore was absent.

Hermione spoke,

"Professor."

"Mrs. Weasley..." said Professor McGonagall. Catching her mistake, she gasped and covered her mouth, Hermione blushed Weasley red. "Dear, me. I'm sorry, Ms. Granger, yes?"

Hermione laughed nervously.

"Pansy is in danger again." she said, her voice now full of nerves. Ron held her hand, stroking her wrist with his thumb.

"How... how do you know this?" said Professor McGonagall. It was rather odd that she would question how they knew... seeing as, with Harry at her side, she was always in danger.

"We did some... investigating. Let's just say that we're almost certain Draco had his part in it... last time." said Harry.

"There's no evidence to support it." said McGonagall simply.

"I can remember him, Professor." said Pansy hotly, "He attacked me. Just before I was brought there he assaulted me in our common room.. he stunned me."

"I'm afraid that's not enough, Ms. Parkinson..." she said, pulling her glasses from her eyes and nibbling on the ear-rest.

Pansy growled under her breath and gritted her teeth. She hated being called by her last name. "Call me Mrs. Potter."

Harry's stomach tumbled. She wanted to take his name! (_SWEET!_ He thought to himself...)

"We can't do anything until we can prove he's involved I'm afraid." said Professor McGonagall very seriously.

"Can't do anything?" Harry whined.

"Well, we'll tell the teachers, naturally." she replied, "They'll be asked to keep him under close watch."

Harry and Hermione were both not happy with this answer. Even Ron joined in,

"That's all?" the three of them hissed.

"I could arrange to have all the Gryffindor 3rd year classes with Slytherin 3rd year classes. You could watch him, too."

Harry was disappointed by his head of house's lack of cooperation. He knew it! He knew that Draco was involved. But it just wasn't enough...

"Thanks, Professor." he breathed in disappointment, and turned around, leading Pansy to the Gryffindor table for breakfast.

"What are we going to do now?" Hermione whispered.

"Protect her every way we can and kill anyone that comes near her." Harry grumbled.

As a joke, Ron inched his way toward her... Harry whipped out his wand and pointed it directly at Ron's throat. Hermione's eyes bulged.

"You get no special privileges."

Ron crawled back toward Hermione and Harry sheathed his wand. They all laughed heartily through breakfast.


	25. In Gryffindor Tower

Harry lay awake, watching as the beautiful woman beside him drifted off into sleep.

Each night, he would wait till her eyelashes fluttered in the depth and peace of her dreams.

_It was a large eight-story mansion. Elegantly furnished with black and dark violet tapestries, the house was anything but a warm place, but it was definitely inviting._

_It smelled of flowers, sweet lilies and roses. The sun gleamed through the window delicately, its warm rays gently caressing her cheeks as Harry had done so many times before..._

_There was a knock at the door as she stirred, her eyes barely open, she watched as her father opened the door._

_"Hello, Mr. Parkinson." said an eerily familiar voice._

_"Mr..."_

_"She is here, I would presume?" asked the voice, placing a silver-topped staff through the doorway._

_Her father chuckled nervously._

_"Yes, you see... about that." he said, glancing off to the side._

_"Not having second thoughts, are we?" said the voice calmly. "The marriage has been set since..."_

_"Yes.. I know.. but she's in love with someone else..." Her father said firmly, still refusing to look at the man in the doorway._

_"Really? Who might that be?" the man said, looking at the innocent girl on the family sofa._

_"Harry, Harry Potter." her father mumbled, his mind racing._

_"And you discovered this how?"_

_"When I got her... I..." he stammered, the man in the doorway forced his way in, knocking her father to the floor._

_"_Stupefy._" Pansy tried to scream, to move, to do anything but could not do so..._

_"Wait.. you said you weren't going to hurt her!" her father pleaded, raising to his feet and pulling his wand from his jacket pocket._

_"Things have... changed..." grinned the man. She could see his face clearly now... it was the face of Lucius Malfoy._

_"I... I won't let you hurt her!" her father shouted, then pointed his wand at her. "_Obliviate!_"_

_That wasn't a protection spell... what was he doing?_

_"Move out of my way!" growled Lucius, hitting her father with the blunt tip of his staff._

_"NO!" he cried, raising his wand in a last attempt to defend himself and his daughter._

_"Avada Kedavara!"_

Pansy awoke with a start. Harry, who had not yet drifted off to sleep, rose with her and, out of instinct, held her.

"Daddy!" she sobbed, her head placed deeply into Harry's chest.

Pansy had once been one for an extremely strong, witty personality. Whatever had happened to her was slowly tearing her apart, leaving only the vulnerable, innocent little girl that now cried in Harry's arms.


	26. The Grim News

Pansy continued to sob mercilessly into Harry's chest, her breathing had even become erratic, she was slipping quickly into an anxiety attack.

"Pansy!" he whispered, rubbing her back lovingly, "Pansy, it's okay, I'm right here."

Harry just sat there as she sobbed her heart out, rocking her gently as she cried.

"Pansy, it's okay." he assured her.

Pansy, hearing this, wailed louder.

"He... he... he..." she stammered. "He killed my.. father."

"Who, Draco?" Harry asked, oblivious.

Pansy shook her head and bit her lip.

"No, _his_ father." she balled.

"Everything okay in there?" came Ron's voice, "Are you that bad, Harry?"

"Oh, gofuckyourself, Ron!" shot Harry, infuriated at Ron for such an insinuation and at such a delicate time. "Your dad?" Harry whispered. "He's dead?"

Her lip quivered as she nodded.

"Wouldn't your mom have told you?" he asked gently, wiping a tear from her cheek.

"Maybe..." she said, her voice trailing off immediately.

"Maybe?" he asked incredulously.

"She'd just want his money." she said simply, sniffing.

"Wow." said Harry, dumbfounded.

"Pureblood marriage." said Pansy bitterly.

She gasped then quickly turned to Harry,

"I'd never do that to you, I swear. I'd kill myself first."

Harry continued to rock her gently and patted her back.

"I know, I know." he whispered as she once again cried herself to sleep.

* * *

"But that doesn't make any sense." reasoned Hermione, "Draco attacked you, he kidnapped you."

"I know. But his dad killed mine and then..." she shuddered violently in Harry's arms. She was immensely glad that he was there for her.

"You think your mom would know something?" inquired Hermione, biting on the tip of her quill.

"Of course she knows _something_, Hermione." Ron groaned.

Hermione swatted him.

"NOT what I meant." she hissed.

"I hate to say this, but I doubt it." Pansy said matter-of-factly, "She never loved my father. The marriage between them was for pureblood children only. There was no love. She probably just took the money and left."

"Well, Harry and you have much greater than that." said Hermione, smiling kindly.

"So do we." whispered Ron to Hermione, nibbling on her ear.

"Maybe." she grunted, pushing him away. Ron's jaw dropped.

"Just kidding, Ronnie." she giggled, kissing him full on the mouth.

"Ronnie?" said Harry, thoroughly disgusted, "Ug..."

They kissed again. Harry was getting a little annoyed.

"We can play that game, too."

Harry kissed Pansy passionately. She returned the gesture happily, ecstatic at the opportunity that something so wonderful could free her troubled mind, if only for a few seconds of bliss...

Hermione released Ron's lips,

"We're not going to get anywhere if we keep this up."

"Oh, keep telling that to yourself, hon." Ron laughed. Hermione giggled nervously and placed her hand on her partially exposed belly. A thought struck Hermione,

"Hang on, why didn't your mom send you a letter or something to say he'd passed on?"

"There was no love between them." Pansy shook her head, "She'd have just taken the money and left him."

"Still doesn't answer the question." mumbled Ron, nibbling Hermione's ear, yet again.

Pansy sniffed loudly and cleared her throat,

"She would have been ashamed of my relationship with Harry... she would have," she gulped, "probably disowned me." Pansy broke into quiet sobs, "She wouldn't have told me because that'd mean I'd've come home.. and would have started asking questions."

Hermione pulled the quill from her mouth and raised its tip to point at the ceiling,

"Then that's exactly what we ought to do."


	27. At the Parkinson's

They had taken off in the quiet night nearly three hours ago. After soaring over most of the United Kingdom, Harry landed, Ron and an extremely nervous Hermione beside him.

"Umph." Pansy whined, "I really don't like flying." her legs nearly went out beneath her as they reconditioned themselves to solid ground. Harry caught her and held her for a moment, gazing in to her pained, but still-sparkling eyes.

"Alohomora." said Hermione, waving her wand at the massive marble doors. The house itself was enormous, at least six stories.

The door opened.

"That was easy." said Hermione, putting her wand away.

"Almost too easy." said Ron, quite leery.

The four of them stepped inside, the door slammed shut behind them.

"What would we be looking for?" asked Ron.

"Anything." said Pansy, not budging from Harry's arms, "Anything that would tell me what happened."

"His room?" asked Hermione, "Where is his room?"

"Upstairs. Eighth floor." said Pansy simply, leading them to the stairwell.

As they climbed the seventh flight of stairs, Hermione grumbled,

"Eighth floor?" she whispered to Ron, "Merlin! Who needs this big of a house?"

Upon reaching the top floor, there stood a single, opened door from which a dull blue light illuminated the hall.

"Look for anything significant." said Harry dumbly.

Floating in the centre of the room was a bluish sphere of pulsating light.

"Not much can be more significant that a huge glowing orb in the center of the room, Harry." Hermione cackled.

Harry shrugged. Pansy walked up to it, her eyes completely glazed.

"What is it?" asked Harry nervously. Hermione breathed,

"I think its a memory projection."


	28. Daddy's Last Words

As Pansy neared the orb, it descended slowly, gradually taking the form of an adult male to which Pansy bore a significant resemblance.

"Pansy, darling," began the voice.

"If you are hearing this, I am dead.

"At first, I thought your relationship with the Potter boy was a mistake. He was a half-blood. You were _supposed_ to marry a pureblood.

"Lucius Malfoy reminded me of this. I brought you here... tried to talk to you... you wouldn't hear of marriage to Draco.

You had gone on for years about how you fancied Draco, how you.."

"I did no such thing." Pansy growled through her tears.

"... wanted to carry on the pureblood line.

"But something about you had changed. You said you _loved_ Harry. I was fool. I had been raised all my life.. as your mother and I raised you... to favor blood over love.

"It'd been so long... I'd forgotten what love is...

"Pansy, it was I who attacked you in your common room. I feared Mr. Malfoy would go sour on me, and, it would seem, I proved myself right. I'll have made sure to obliviate your memory poorly enough so that, with time, your memories would bring you back to this place."

The memory of her father sighed and took a seat on the bed, then looked up wearily at his daughter,

"I used the polyjuice potion.."

"So that's why Draco was messing with his hair. I thought it looked odd." said Harry suddenly.

"to mimic his son's form in case anything went wrong. At the very least to turn you against him and that awful father of his..."

The image of her father began to weep bitterly.

"Pansy, I.. I'm sorry. Please forgive your father."

For only a moment, he kept quiet, allowing his daughter and the others in the room to take in what he had said.

"Pansy, I know I've never said this, darling, but I love you. It's time you heard that from your father." he added, still crying. "I know you love Harry,"

"Damn right, I do!" said Pansy enthusiastically through her silent sobs. Harry blushed brilliantly.

"So I will grant you this as the one thing I could do for you as a father before I die..

"Should you feel the same about him when you come of age, you have my blessing."

Pansy gasped and turned to Harry. Her tear-drenched cheeks glittering in the light of her father's memory.

"Goodbye, Pansy." said the Memory as it faded into darkness.

Pansy and Hermione both were crying silently. Ron took Hermione in his arms to comfort her.

Pansy looked up into Harry's eyes and whispered,

"True love never dies."

And with those words, the two kissed with all the passion their months together had afforded them. The room was now peaceful and quiet, and, though dark and difficult times lay ahead, for now, everything was alright.

_The End._

* * *

_**Author's Note:** I hope that you all enjoyed this novel! Please review to tell me what you think!_

_NOTE: THE SEQUEL'S OUT! THE FIRST CHAPTER RELEASED SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH THIS CHAPTER! NAVIGATE TO MY PROFILE AND START THE STORY "__GIVE YOURSELF AWAY_". BE SURE TO FAVORITE AND STORY ALERT THIS NEW ADDITION TO THE "NEVER ALONE" SERIES!

_For those of you that have been following Never Alone, I want to thank you and ask for your continued support throughout book two. Hope to see you reviewing, TML._


End file.
